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Broadcast TV Ratings for Wednesday, September 26, 2007 September 27, 2007

Posted by Russ T.C. in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.
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ABC’s Dancing With the Stars: Results and solid premiere of Private Practice lead ABC to a Wednesday night victory among households, viewers and adults 18-49. ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money okay in debut.

CBS took second place among households and viewers with a declining Kid Nation and weaker than year-ago season premieres of both Criminal Minds and CSI: NY, while NBC got great results from its new series Bionic Woman and solid results, especially among adults 18-49, for the series premiere of Life to give the network a close second place finish among adults 18-49 for the evening.

Over at FOX, week two of freshman comedy Back to You declined, as did Kitchen Nightmares, but the decline wasn’t as steep as it was for sophomore comedy ‘Til Death.

The CW sees a big dropoff for week two of Gossip Girl and a solid performance from America’s Next Top Model.

ABC finished in first place for the evening with a 9.4/15 household rating/share, 13.76 million viewers and a 4.2/11 rating/share among adults 18-49.

  • Last Week:
    • Households - 3.9/7 [#4]
    • Viewers - 5.63M [#4]
    • A18-49 - 2.0/6 [#5]
  • 8:00 p.m.: The first results show of the season for Dancing With the Stars (11.1/18 HH rating/share, 16.62M viewers, 4.0/12 A18-49 rating/share), spoilers follow, which saw the elimination of the first contestant (Josie Moran) performed just as strongly this year as it did the year prior. Ratings were mostly identical, with a slight increase among viewers, and very slight decreases among households and adults 18-49. It’s safe to say that ‘Dancing’ is still in.
    • Season premiere comparison (First elimination - September 13, 2006):
      • Households - 11.2/18 to 11.1/18
      • Viewers - 16.30M to 16.62M
      • Adults 18-49 - 4.1/13 to 4.0/12
  • 9:00 p.m.: That was followed by the series premiere of the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice (9.7/15 HH rating/share, 14.24M viewers, 5.1/14 A18-49 rating/share) which premiered very well for the most part. Half-hour to half-hour performance was mostly solid, with only slight declines, so there doesn’t seem to be much worry on second week performance. I do wonder what the expectations for this series were though. It’s obvious that numbers as high as Grey’s Anatomy were out of the question, but something over 15 million and a tad bit higher performance among adults 18-49 would have gone over better at ABC, I’d say. Personally, as a huge fan of Grey’s Anatomy, I was a little bit disappointed in this episode. I know it’s suppose to be different from Grey’s Anatomy but I don’t know if I’m completely behind this series quite yet. I also don’t connect as well with this cast as I did when I first watched ‘Grey’s’. Hopefully it’ll improve and in the future I’ll be just as anxious to check out a new episode as I am in regards to ‘Grey’s’. Moving back towards the ratings angle a bit, in the battle between Private Practice and Bionic Woman, I can declare a tie for week one, with Private Practice winning the overall audience mark (both households and viewers) and Bionic Woman winning the race for the coveted A18-49 demographic.
    • Timeslot comparison (Lost: Season three premiere - October 4, 2006):
      • Households - 11.0/16 to 9.7/15
      • Viewers - 18.82M to 14.24M
      • Adults 18-49 - 7.7/19 to 5.1/14
    • Last week’s numbers (fast nationals - Come Rain or Shine: From Grey’s Anatomy to Private Practice):
      • Households - 5.0/8
      • Viewers - 7.14M
      • Adults 18-49 -2.5/7
  • 10:00 p.m.: Despite being down when compared to last season’s timeslot, the series premiere of Dirty Sexy Money (7.4/12 HH rating/share, 10.42M viewers, 3.6/10 A18-49 rating/share) had a good enough sampling, and okay retention levels from its lead-in. And despite finishing out ahead of NBC’s new series Life among households and viewers, it was behind a bit among adults 18-49 (third place for the hour).
    • Timeslot comparison (The Nine: Series premiere - October 4, 2006):
      • Households - 7.8/13 to 7.4/12
      • Viewers - 11.91M to 10.42M
      • Adults 18-49 - 4.6/12 to 3.6/10
    • Last week’s numbers (Primetime: Medical Mysteries):
      • Households - 4.0/7
      • Viewers - 5.68M
      • Adults 18-49 - 1.9/5

CBS followed in second place on the evening with a 7.0/11 household rating/share and 11.01 million viewers, but was third among adults 18-49 with a 3.1/9 rating/share .

  • Last Week:
    • Households - 5.9/10 [#1]
    • Viewers - 8.94M [#1]
    • Adults 18-49 - 2.6/7 [#3]
  • 8:00 p.m.: Week two of Kid Nation (4.8/8 HH rating/share, 7.61M viewers, 2.8/8 A18-49 rating/share) took a hit. The series fell off by 1.77 million or 19% among viewers and 20% among adults 18-49. About the only positive is that it held on a bit better among adults 18-49, where it was down by 10%. Needless to say, in its second week Jericho performed a good deal better (+3.61 million or +51% among viewers, +54% among households and +32% among adults 18-49). For those interested, here are the Jericho year-ago numbers (7.4/12 HH rating/share, 11.47M viewers, 3.7/11 A18-49 rating/share).
    • Week-to-week numbers (Series premiere):
      • Households - 6.0/10 to 4.8/8
      • Viewers - 9.38M to 7.61M
      • Adults 18-49 - 3.1/9 to 2.8/8
  • 9:00 p.m.: The season three premiere of Criminal Minds (8.2/13 HH rating/share, 12.71M viewers, 3.5/9 A18-49 rating/share) got off to a rough start. Alright, so many may be wondering how I could possibly be negative towards a show’s ratings when it was viewed by nearly 13 million people, but if you look at the year-ago numbers below, I believe you’ll immediately understand why. Compared to last year’s season opener, Criminal Minds was off 2.94 million or 19% among viewers, 20% among households and 22% among adults 18-49. It wasn’t even able to match its season two finale from this past May. Add in that the network used the show as the Super Bowl lead-out, and I think I’m safe in saying this was a somewhat weak opener. Now, things could change over the coming weeks. Competition could fizzle out on the other networks and migrate over to CBS during the now heavily competitive 9:00 p.m. time period. Or ratings could remain the same and that wouldn’t be the end of the world. It would just be a little bit on the disappointing side.
    • Season premiere comparison (September 20, 2006):
      • Households - 10.2/16 to 8.2/13
      • Viewers - 15.65M to 12.71M
      • Adults 18-49 - 4.5/12 to 3.5/9
    • Episode-to-episode numbers (season two finale - May 16, 2007):
      • Households - 8.3/13 to 8.2/13
      • Viewers - 13.21M to 12.71M
      • Adults 18-49 - 3.7/9 to 3.5/9
  • 10:00 p.m.: My same analysis can pretty much be applied to the season four premiere of CSI: NY (8.1/13 HH rating/share, 12.70M viewers, 3.7/10 A18-49 rating/share) which also experienced a noticeable season premiere drop, even more so than its lead-in. Though both series remain compatible with each other, CSI: NY was down by 3.41 million or 24% among viewers, 21% among households and 26% among adults 18-49. As to its performance against the series premieres of NBC’s Life and ABC’s Dirty Sexy Money, CSI: NY manged to take first place on the hour among households and viewers and second place among adults 18-49.
    • Season premiere comparison (September 20, 2006):
      • Households - 10.7/18 to 8.1/13
      • Viewers - 16.11M to 12.70M
      • Adults 18-49 - 5.0/13 to 3.7/10
    • Episode-to-episode numbers (season three finale - May 16, 2007):
      • Households - 8.6/14 to 8.1/13
      • Viewers - 13.07M to 12.70M
      • Adults 18-49 - 4.0/10 to 3.7/10

NBC finished in third place on the evening with a 6.8/11/9 household rating/share and 10.88 million viewers, but was a very strong second, just one-tenth from first place, among adults 18-49 with a 4.1/11 rating/share.

  • Last Week:
    • Households - 5.2/9 [#2]
    • Viewers - 8.00M [#2]
    • A18-49 - 2.8/9 [#2]
  • 8:00 p.m: Deal or No Deal (5.6/9 HH rating/share, 8.89M viewers, 2.6/8 A18-49 rating/share) lost a bit of overall audience from the week prior but was up a tad among adults 18-49.
    • Week-to-week numbers (season premiere):
      • Households - 6.5/11 to 5.6/9
      • Viewers - 9.86M to 8.89M
      • Adults 18-49 - 2.5/8 to 2.6/8
  • 9:00 p.m.: The weakened lead-in had no ill effect on the series premiere of Bionic Woman (8.4/13 HH rating/share, 13.59M viewers, 5.5/14 A18-49 rating/share) which had a very strong, respectable debut. NBC definitely did a fine job at getting the word out for the new series. Its most impressive performance would have to be among the A18-49 crowd, where it was an impressive first on the evening in that demo category, holding off the series premiere of ABC’s Private Practice by 8% (5.1 vs. 5.5). Another bit of good news for the series was its half-hour growth. Both are good signs for the future of the series. Let’s just hope quality improves and audiences continue to stick around. I’m certainly hopeful that the behind-the-scenes problems don’t have a negative effect on the creative quality of the show.
    • Timeslot comparison (The Biggest Loser: Special Edition - September 27, 2006):
      • Households - 5.2/7 to 8.4/13
      • Viewers - 7.09M to 13.59M
      • Adults 18-49 - 3.5/10 to 5.5/14
  • 10:00 p.m.: And NBC ended the evening with the series premiere of Life (6.5/11 HH rating/share, 10.15M viewers, 4.1/11 A18-49 rating/share). Though the weaker of the three 10:00 p.m. shows among households and viewers, Life managed a strong A18-49 performance, first on the hour. I was actually mostly satisfied with this pilot. I really like the laid back approach of the show. It grew on me throughout the hour.
    • Timeslot comparison (Kidnapped: Series premiere - September 20, 2006):
      • Households - 5.1/9 to 6.5/11
      • Viewers - 7.59M to 10.15M
      • Adults 18-49 - 2.8/8 to 4.1/11
    • Last week’s numbers (8:00-10:00 p.m. - Last Comic Standing: Season five finale):
      • Households - 4.5/8
      • Viewers - 7.10M
      • Adults 18-49 - 2.9/8

Fox followed in fourth place on the evening with a 3.8/6 household rating/share, 6.14 million viewers and a 2.5/7 rating/share among adults 18-49.

  • Last Week:
    • Households - 4.8/8 [#3]
    • Viewers - 7.62M [#3]
    • Adults 18-49 - 3.0/9 [#1]
  • 8:00 & 8:30 p.m.: Week two of freshman comedy Back to You (5.1/9 HH rating/share, 7.54M viewers, 2.8/9 A18-49 rating/share) and the sophomore comedy ‘Til Death (3.8/6 HH rating/share, 6.21M viewers, 2.4/7 A18-49 rating/share) both suffered. First we’ll talk about Back to You. I haven’t seen the episode yet, but declines of 1.94 million or 20% among viewers and 15% among households in just its second week must be disturbing to FOX, especially when its series premiere didn’t attract all that many eyeballs in the first place. I suppose they could feel a bit better with its performance among adults 18-49, where it was off by a less severe 10%. Moving on to ‘Til Death, news was equally bad. With week-to-week declines of 1.55 million or 20% among viewers, 22% among households and 11% among adults 18-49. Obviously, leading out of American Idol last season was just a short-term fix for ‘Til Death.
    • Week-to-week numbers (Back to You: Series premiere):
      • Households - 6.0/10 to 5.1/9
      • Viewers - 9.48M to 7.54M
      • Adults 18-49 - 3.1/10 to 2.8/9
    • Week-to-week numbers (‘Til Death: Season 2 premiere):
      • Households - 4.9/8 to 3.8/6
      • Viewers - 7.76M to 6.21M
      • Adults 18-49- 2.7/8 to 2.4/7
  • 9:00 p.m.: Continuing the trend, week two of Kitchen Nightmares (3.5/5 HH rating/share, 5.41M viewers, 2.4/6 A18-49 rating/share) also went through a week-to-week decline (-1.20 million or -18% among viewers, -17% among households and -23% among adults 18-49). In hind-sight, was it such a good idea for FOX to premiere its new Wednesday night lineup a full week before the other networks? I understand the belief that less new shows means more exposure, but at the same time can’t it be said that more interest on the night overall could have contributed to a better, and more successful, premiere week?
    • Week-to-week numbers (Series premiere)
      • Households - 4.2/7 to 3.5/5
      • Viewers - 6.61M to 5.41M
      • Adults 18-49 - 3.1/8 to 2.4/6

The CW finished in fifth place for the evening with a 2.4/4 household rating/share, 3.70 million viewers and a 1.8/5 rating/share among adults 18-49.

  • Last Week:
    • Households - 2.8/5 [#5]
    • Viewers - 4.40M [#5]
    • Adults 18-49 - 2.1/6 [#4]
  • 8:00 p.m.: Week two of the new season of America’s Next Top Model (3.1/5 HH rating/share, 4.85M viewers, 2.4/7 A18-49 rating/share) stayed mostly even from the week prior, with about even performances among households and adults 18-49, but took a bit of a dive among viewers, where it was off by 370,000 or 7%.
    • Week-to-week numbers (Series premiere):
      • Households - 3.2/5 to 3.1/5
      • Viewers - 5.22M to 4.85M
      • Adults 18-49 - 2.5/8 to 2.4/7
  • 9:00 p.m.: After failing to get a respectable sampling last week, Gossip Girl (1.8/3 HH rating/share, 2.55M viewers, 1.2/3 A18-49 rating/share) fell even further down in its second week. Check out these declines: -950,000 or 22% among viewers, 27% among households and 25% among adults 18-49. I’ve always believed that this programming decision from The CW was the wrong one. They crippled this show’s chances by linking its success directly to that of America’s Next Top Model. Suddenly Veronica Mars episodes don’t seem all that bad huh CW?
    • Week-to-week numbers (Series premiere):
      • Households - 2.3/4 to 1.8/3
      • Viewers - 3.50M to 2.55M
      • Adults 18-49 - 1.6/4 to 1.2/3
GO TO WEEKLY RATINGS PAGE

Note: Network average numbers from the week prior are based on fast national data. Comparison’s from the week prior (or episode-to-episode, etc.) on specific shows are based on final national data. Ratings for the current day are based on fast nationals. (Expect all three scenarios to be the case at all times, unless otherwise noted). The final rating for first-run episodes that aired this evening will be reported the following week. So for example, the final rating for tonights episode of “Dancing With the Stars” will be reported in next weeks report for Wednesday, October 3, 2007.

Also keep in mind that because these are fast national ratings, numbers may increase or decrease when the final nationals are released.

Source: Fast/Final National Ratings Data from Nielsen Media Research and PIFeedback

 

Comments»

1. matt - September 28, 2007

so true the CW should bring back veronica mars missing it sssssssoooooo much